The Monster Within
by StrangeSingaporean
Summary: Alucard wants to make Seras fit to be his Bride. Should have very mild AxS, but the AxS will come at a later time. A mix of manga and anime elements. Rated T just to be sure.
1. Incompetent Fool

Disclaimer: Hellsing does not belong to me. It belongs to Kouta Hirano, Gonzo Animation, Geneon Entertainment and Dark Horse Comics. So please don't sue me. Anyway, I don't have any money for you to rip away.

**Chapter 1**

**Incompetent Fool**

Eternal existence.

Eternal existence stops the clock in oneself.

It's sometimes quite a bother to live forever with no particular purpose. One would just live on and on. Monotonous and boring.

It sometimes seems that one would be better off with one's soul freed from one's body, wondering the heavens and all that he pleases.

Eternal existence is made worse when one lives very much alone, without a companion or one to share the activities he participates in. These activities are not as fun participating in alone as when one would do so with someone else. An activity like hunting.

It was not that Alucard had no one. He had someone living with him, but was unwilling to share his interests and behaviours. A certain someone called Seras.

Seras had potential. He knew that she would make a powerful vampire one day. But he was tired of waiting. Tired of waiting for all these long years. Oh how he yearned for the day Seras would transcend her pitiful kind-hearted self and become a vampire fit to be his Bride.

If only there was someone else who cared and loved Seras and has shown it to her. If only…

It was not the first time that he wanted to turn her into a vampire he adored. He had wanted to do it so many times before. But he knew he could not have done it then, for his Master would've forbidden it. But now was different. He was no longer in servitude to his once Master. She had died several years ago. Murdered by the pathetic Nazis. He was overjoyed at first when she passed. But then the fact that it was unnatural death that claimed her, it meant that he had failed to protect her. He failed to accomplish his duty, which was to guard her with his life. He was to keep her alive, unless ordered. Unless she had died of unpreventable circumstances, he was deemed to have failed his mission, his duty. His destiny.

She did not manage to produce an heir or heiress before her death. He was bound by duty to serve all the Hellsings of this world. But because of his inability to protect Integral until she had an heir to the Hellsing family, he had failed to withhold the promise and honour given to him.

In other words, he was a failure.

Now a true No-Life King, he sought to realise his happiness.

He wanted to find someone fit to be his bride. He had found one. But her heart was too weak with kindness. If only she was cruel like he was, then his search would be over.

But no.

She was no better than the newly formed nineteen-year-old vampire she was before. Even now, as a true vampire, no longer his servant, she was the same.

Angry in his musings, Alucard got out of his bloodstained throne. Fading into darkness, he promised himself to question Seras once more, and from his findings, hopefully, find her weakest point. It was something he could not, with or without his many experiences see how strong guilt, sadness and love could be.

He never truly experienced it, for he was and wanted to be a strong character. Guilt would change to hatred quickly in him, not long enough to make him feel the full impact. As for love, it was quite a wonder that he never knew it, what with his twenty-six wives. But then, his cruelty hardly left any room in him to feel the two strongest emotions that would break a human down. And then again, he was never human. He was in human form once, but all there was in him was evil, making him no different from his current status as a monster.

Seras was sitting in a sad heap beside her bed. Sadly, she gazed over the photos she had—the last remaining evidences of her lost humanity and of her days in the D-11.

They say that photos bring back good memories. That is, however, the exact opposite of Seras' case. Though the photos showed better days, it reminded her of what she is.

A vampire.

The creature that killed her once-comrades.

The species she had once fought against.

The living dead she had feared before her current predicament.

Suddenly, a voice broke the sad atmosphere. It was Master. No, make that ex-Master.

"Still lost in your petty human thoughts and memories?"

"Quite so."

Seras was oblivious to his taunts, for she had heard them for so long that it had become a clichéd matter.

"You should put those behind, make no space for them. For you, Victoria, are a member of the Living Dead."

Seras was startled. Rare are those times that he ever called her by her name. "Police Girl" was more in his vocabulary. However, it took her no more than a couple of minutes to see his intentions. He wanted to deceive her into believing that he has finally accepted who she is.

"No, Master. I may no longer be human, but I am still human in my mind, and I will hold on to every last shred of humanity in me."

Gone were the days of servitude to the Dracula, but Seras called him "Master" out of respect and habit. She despised the way he was, but respected him for giving her the choice of the second life. However, she would not obediently change herself to suit his ways. He was now only a master by name.

"Do you regret choosing the path of the Undead? Do you wish I had not drunk your blood? Do you lament not dying a human?"

Seras kept quite for she did not know how to answer his tormenting questions. Her silence was short-lived, however.

"At least go out and hunt with me tonight."

"No, Master. I won't hunt. I never hunt."

"Perhaps I should _consider_ severing your medical blood supply," he threatened. "Perhaps that only then, you will finally hunt with me."

Once again, Seras did not reply. It wasn't really a question, after all.

Alucard left through the back wall, laughing his deep, booming and cruel laugh.

Alucard was furious, and yet felt sweetness touching his taste buds.

He was furious that even after all these years of living in his presence alone with no one else, Seras had yet to behave like him. He supposed that Seras would not be influenced so easily. But if she had been influenced by her father to join the police force, then he should still have hope of turning her into the ultimate undead, second only to himself.

However, the chat with his former fledgling awoke something that had been asleep in his mind for so many years.

He finally knew what made Seras feel wanted in this harsh world. He knew what the shining object in her life and un-life had been.

It had been people who truly cared for her. Others who even put her life above their own. People like her father, people like Pip Bernadette. It was a pity, though. He had put so much faith in Bernadette, certain he was as ruthless as he was. His last words however, showed that he was not above humanity. His last words to Seras made him die in disrespect. But to Seras, he died a hero's death. But at least now he knew.

He could play around with her feelings. It always made fragile females feel hurt, and harden. But no. That would never happen to Seras. She had been through it before, but emerged the same, if not worse.

What he could do was to make her feel so guilty that she loses her mind. That she becomes the darker side of herself that had remained dormant in most people. Everyone has a good and a dark side.

Maybe _except_ Alucard. He never had a good side. He was all-rounded evil.

If only the Captain of the Wild Geese, Bernadette, was still alive. Then he would be able to execute the approach to rid the world of the Incompetent fool, Seras Victoria. And in the process, create the birth of the No-Life Queen, Seras Victoria.

Alucard sat there once again in his bloodstained throne, lost in his plots.

"Excellent," he whispered. "_Truly_ excellent."

That was it. The answer was there all along. It was just waiting for him to find it. And now he finally has. The plan would be simple. All he had to do was find or create someone to take the role of the late Bernadette.

All he would need to do was to make Seras have a false sense of security. And when the time came to a point where the two relationship's ties were at it's strongest, he would force them to do battle.

He would force them to fight each other. He would force Seras to do something she never did directly.

He would force her to kill the person who had brought her relief and sudden happiness.

In a way, Seras had caused the death of the two most integral people she ever knew. Her father died to save her life. While the pathetic Bernadette did the same.

And for a person like Seras, who has a human mind and heart, who feels for others to live knowing that they have condemned a person who cared for them to death, their body system would alter to cope with the acknowledgment of the inhumane deed.

It was perfect. Once he did it properly, Seras would become the faultless being that is fit to be his Bride.

"Soon," he told himself. "Soon, Alucard. _Very_ soon."

* * *

Author's note: Please do review. Give me the fire, criticism, flak and constructive feedback. And if I've made any mistakes in writing, be it wrong information or spelling or grammatical errors, do inform me. 


	2. A Fledgling Lost And Recovered

Disclaimer: Hellsing does not belong to me. It belongs to Kouta Hirano, Dark Horse Comics, Geneon Entertainment and Gonzo Animation. So please don't sue me.

**Chapter 2:**

**A Fledgling Lost **

**And Recovered**

It was a night unlike any other. The wind blew, silent, yet noisy.

Lit only by the full moon, the animals inhabiting the forest shivered in fear and ran to their nests. Everything in this place was creepy, such that even the wolves retreated to their dens.

Something told them it was not safe to stay out.

Something told them a perilous being whose strength and power could not be matched was on the march.

How true their instincts were.

The air was thick with mystification, coupled with the smell of blood and sweat. Occasionally, a scream would break the unexplained silence.

Suddenly, a pair of heavy and bloodied boots slammed onto the grass. Squeaks of frightened animals ensued.

The massive black figure swept his head with annoyance, silencing the irritating noises. The unexpectedly bright moon shone on its armour, revealing splashes of red on the steel. In its hands were the remains of blood-soaked rats.

A slurping sound was heard, somehow causing the temperature to drop.

Another gust of wind blew, sweeping the dead leaves into the air; the figure's hair billowing in the would-be breeze.

"Come forth," he spoke, voice coarse and commanding. "Prove to me that you're worthy of my blood."

Obediently, the subject in question stepped out of the shadows into the moonlight.

"I am who you seek, is that correct?" he inquired in a thick French accent.

"You are sharp and bold, I see. Able to hide your nationality as well. Perfect."

"So you know of my country? What is it then?" he pushed, keeping his French air.

"Of course I do. You were born in Germany, your father a German, British on your maternal side. I know all about you," he added, seeing the half-concealed awestruck expression on his company's face.

"Then why did you want to know more about me? You know that I am not your happy-go-lucky guy," he pointed out.

"I saw your plea on an underground magazine, Rudolf Meltzer. Foolishly, you wanted to seek a better life, and therefore turned to the idiotic Hitler."

There was a rustle of fabric and a shriek shattered the still air. Alucard had lunged at Meltzer, biting his neck upon contact.

A scuffle resulted from the attempt of blood sucking; all the while Alucard having the upper hand. After a few minutes, the Nazi collapsed, weak from the heavy loss of blood.

"Remember, Meltzer. I am now your master, and your life depends on mine. You will do as I say."

"And why should I?"

"You _will _do as I say."

With that, he was gone in a swish of his cloak and a last glitter of his armour.

Alucard's eyes flickered open. Staring into the darkness of his casket, he tried to recollect his dream and flashback of the past.

Now he finally remembered.

He did not fancy waking in the middle of the day, but that dream was crucial to his plans.

Since now that he has remembered his long-forgotten fledgling, it would make his task of changing Seras easier. He wouldn't need to bother finding a charming male to help heal Seras' wounded heart and provide her with _proper _companionship.

If he recalled correctly, Meltzer was a General-Lieutenant during Hitler's reign. And that he had allowed him to run and hide during his and Walter's attack on the Nazis.

_Dear, dear Rudolf_, he thought. _I've got another assignment for you now. _

Meltzer would be the perfect man in Seras' eyes. Tall, handsome, strong with exceptional leadership qualities… Seras would see him that way, blinded by the attractive grey eyes of his Nazi background.

Wonderful.

If Meltzer was still alive, then he would be able to summon and set him to his work almost immediately. 

_Meltzer, _he called in his mind. _Meltzer, can you hear me?_

_Yes, Master, I can. What do you request?_

_Prepare your luggage, dear Rudolf. Pack your best clothes. I'm coming to get you in an hour. Be ready._

_Yes, Master Alucard._

Now, all he needed to do was to squeeze in another hour of sleep before he would disembark.

But he couldn't sleep. He was too excited to do so. After so many years, he would meet up again with the fledgling he thought he lost contact with. Then he would be able to carry out the first phase of his wicked "strategy".

It was very unlike him to be that excited. After all, it wasn't as if Seras had just become a true undead with nearly unmatched powers.

He would have to let Meltzer in on the scheme, but he could not disclose too much. Should he reveal that the death of the German was part of it, the tactic was as good as ruined.

An hour passed, and the time came for the transportation of Meltzer.

Alucard got out of his coffin, smoothing his attire, preparing to teleport to his fledgling's dwelling.

Soon, he was standing at the entrance of the former Nazi general's hideout. It was far from civilization, located on a remote island.

"Meltzer!" shouted Alucard. "Why, you aren't out to greet me with open arms!"

"Sorry, Master."

Meltzer hurriedly scurried out from his shady cave, having not forgotten how his Master was like. He looked the same as the way Alucard had left him, with a few exceptions. He still wore his grimy uniform, cap and boots and had a scar on his neck where Alucard had bitten him. However, his clothes reeked of the smell of the mud and water he had not bothered to wash off. His eyes had also changed, red due to his vampirism and had fangs.

But all these changes did not erase the look in his eyes. They looked steely, yet full of warmth and kindness. Something he gained while a British Prisoner-Of-War. The scenes of torture he saw of humans had made him more aware of human suffering. But he was still steely, for he did not want to end up like the tortured.

"So, Rudolf. Are you ready?"

"Yes, Master. Where are we leaving for?"

"Romania. I live there now that I'm no longer a servant to anyone."

"Yes, Sir. Good to know that you were freed from servitude to that worthless woman."

"Don't you _dare _to insult my once-Master, lowly filth," Alucard flared. No one would condemn the female Knight in his presence or anywhere in the world.

Meltzer stood dumbstruck. He was always under the impression that his Master despised having a bond with humans. Much less having a master he was bound to serve with his life.

"My deepest apologies, Master. I did not mean to do so."

"You had better be," he hissed, unseen venom dripping from his lips. "And for that," he continued. "I am going to give you a taste of one of my punishments. I know how much you hate killing others since the war…"

"I –I'm sorry, Master. Truly sorry… Please, I do not wish to—"

"Silence! Get your luggage out now!"

"Y-yes, Master. As you say so."

Meltzer retreated back into his cave, returning with a tattered trunk in his hands.

"Is this _all_ you have, Meltzer? I told you to get your best possessions in place of filthy ones, didn't I?"

"Most regretful, Master. With respect, this is all that I was left after you wrecked our camp, taking the lives of soldiers I had in command with you."

"I see then. We shall get you new possessions that are in better shape than your current ones before we start work on your mission."

"Is that so, Sir? I notice that you normally do not mind things in such a state. What's the special occasion?"

Alucard told him. A smile slowly spread across his face as Alucard briefed him of the task ahead of him and the plans. He may not like killing or torturing others, but it sounded so good, reawakening the demon in him.

They left for Romania, the two laughing mercilessly.

Phase One of the scheme was going to be executed smoothly.

* * *

Author's note: Sorry for keeping you readers waiting. If it is unknown to you (which most probably is), Rudolf Meltzer was a real general of Hitler. For some of his personal details, the information in the story may be wrong, due to his lack of well-known ness, thus little information. So if there is anything wrong with the facts regarding anything related to anything in the story, drop me an e-mail to tell me. Thanks. 


	3. Forged Friendship

Author's note: To my reviewer AttackingHentaiChibisLoveFluff: sorry, please be patient. First of all, I'm still in primary school only and have an over-protective mother so I haven't written even the tiniest bit of fluff yet. So I really need time to make things all work out.

Disclaimer: Hellsing does not belong to me. It belongs to Kouta Hirano, Dark Horse Comics, Geneon Entertainment and Gonzo Animation.

**Chapter Three:**

**Forged Friendship**

Waves crashed against boulders and rocks, disappearing into foam. The cycle repeated, over and over again, with hardly a care of the world.

The strong and relaxing breeze ruffled leaves and Seras' hair.

It was such a pleasure to sit by the shore and do nothing but gaze to the horizon. But did she _deserve _it?

In all things, there are cycles. Mistakes and triumphs repeated themselves, so did killings and sacrifices. So did birth and death.

Did she herself really deserve to continue living her un-life? Was she to continue to have others sacrifice themselves for her sake, her life? Was it _worth _to forfeit so many lives to death for one?

Although grateful of their care and concern, Seras felt it unjustified for her to suffer of something that she did not want. It is very ironic that living was like a torture to her and that she loathed something that others hold on so dearly to. She felt that she owed countless others her life, but was unable to repay them.

She would rather die than be forced to live on without her loved ones.

She did not know what awaited her after her death. She had heard many theories. Many proclaimed that they would be judged and sent to either heaven or hell while others claim that they would be re-born after an amount of time, depending on their karma.

All these assumptions, true or not she did not know. Or would it simply be that they die and everything ends at that?

"Pip," she whispered. "I miss you, Pip."

But she cannot let her existence reach its end. Before Bernadette's demise, he requested that She lived on for his sake. And didn't those who died for her do so to give her a longer life? She would be ungrateful to their sacrifice if she were to give up.

"Oh, Pip. It's so lonely here. I wish I could be with you."

"Live for me, Seras," she remembered, as if in reply. "Live for me."

Seras got up and flew back to her and Alucard's quarters.

She would live for Bernadette and the others, but she would not enjoy her existence while they had suffered.

--------------------------

"Police Girl," called Alucard the moment he stepped in.

Seras jumped, startled. She still had not got used to Alucard's habit of appearing without warning.

"Yes, Master?"

"I want you to meet me tomorrow evening."

"But where?"

"Oh, you'll know," he replied, laughing. "You'll know soon enough."

With a last chuckle, he left in the same fashion as he came, strolling through the door.

"Master…" Seras half-whined. She did not know why she was whining, but knew that something about her ex-Master's order was troubling her. She had a feeling that he was about to do something bad, and her intuition was getting quite accurate. But it was a "quite".

It was just as well. She would have to wait till the next evening to find out.

-----------------------------------------

At exactly five in the evening Seras stood outside the door to Alucard's dungeon of a domain. Hesitantly, she raised her hand to knock on the damp oak doors.

Just a few hours before, she came across a note written on the wall of her room. The writings were illegible and she could only just make out what it read:

Come dusk

Go to where there is dust

In the place considered filthy by humans

Lie in wait an undead demon

The place you hardly visit now

Is inhabited by the servant of the "English sow"

Arrive punctually

Or regret your moment of folly

It was a riddle; entirely unanticipated. But it was Alucard who wrote it, no doubt—he had left behind most of his poetic abilities along with his mortality.

"The place you hardly visit now"… There are many places she hardly visits. Many. Which is the one of which he speaks of?

"The place you hardly visit _now_"… If it was "now", it means that she had entered it frequently in the past but stopped doing so recently. Where had she stopped visiting not too long ago, and _why_?

The answer was clear: The dungeon in which Alucard lived while serving Integral. Seras had never visited the mansion itself since the fall of Hellsing, for the memories it brings are those of which one would prefer lost.

A booming voice emitted from inside the room.

"Don't just stand there like a statue, Police Girl," said Alucard. "But I daresay it would be useful in the event of war where stealth is needed."

Embarrassed, Seras turned the doorknob, putting on a straight face just before entering. The smell that greeted her would have had normal humans knocked out, such foul and strong a stench it was.

"You wanted to see me, Master?"

"Yes, Police Girl," Alucard paused, choosing his words carefully so as not to arouse suspicion. "Have you finally decided to hunt for blood?"

"I haven't," she replied, eyeing him suspiciously.

Ah, suspicion cannot be avoided then.

"Why would you go to the trouble of composing a riddle just to get me here?" she continued. "And what a crap riddle, if I may say."

"Getting witty now, are we? It should be best in your interest to start pleasing me… And I do not give you permission to say so."

"I don't see why not," Seras replied waspishly. She had been in a rather tetchy mood of late, and for a reason she did not quite know.

"Now, now, Police Girl. You don't want to rile me up, or your assignment will be even more tedious."

Seras started. She had expected many things to come out of his mouth, hunting among them.

But an _assignment_?

"Ah, you didn't expect it, did you not? You are not as all-knowing as you act, it seems."

Seras ground her teeth in frustration. Has annoying her become one of his favourite pastimes? She still had a long way to go if she wanted to steel herself and minimize facial expressions.

The smirk on Alucard's face grew wider and more annoying still.

"Yes, yes, I didn't expect it," said Seras impatiently, ignoring his comment.

"Well then… I want you to go to the Riverside forest. I want you to stay there for a while, learn survival skills."

"What ever for?"

"You will stay there for at least six months," he continued, brushing aside her query. "Now go."

"But I don't even know where it is!"

"In the west of England. Covering eight thousand hectares."

An image shot through her mind. It was an image of a vast patch of vegetation; bird's eye view. Alucard must have sent the picture to her through telepathy.

"Yes, I did. I will, however, help you a bit."

"H-_help_ me?"

Suddenly, Alucard grabbed her arm and they soared out of the mansion into the otherwise still air of the night. Not a moment too soon, Alucard landed with a slight stoop in the middle of undergrowth, whereas Seras thumped hard onto the unforgiving ground, her arm only just released.

"You will say here," said he, "until I think that you are strong enough to return."

By the time the pain on her bottom had subsided to a tolerable amount and she had tried to absorb in the surroundings, the No-Life King had already left.

The burning question now was how she was to survive. Surely the terrain was not home to carnivorous animals and plants?

She shook her head hard. No, she would not be able to survive if she were to continue being a weakling with no survival instincts. She was a vampire, and vampire instincts she must have possessed. The vampire blood of Alucard in her was taking over. This is where vampirism would be evidently seen in her. Something which had not happened to her in over fifty years, since the notorious Valentine brothers' attack on the Hellsing mansion.

Suddenly, the leaves of the vegetation in front of her ruffled, suggesting that someone, or something, was approaching. She tried listening for the frequency of the heart beat of the being but found none. It was indeed very odd. What had no heart beat but moved like an animal or human?

Only one known being is capable of that.

A vampire.

Seras immediately adopted a fighting stance, wary of the possible dangers.

From the bushes emerged a man dressed in a dirtied and worn uniform. He was wearing heavy black military boots, an army cap and Lt-General stripes on his breast. The German army's emblem, though grimy, glinted on his cap.

The vampire was a German Nazi.

"Hi," said he, trying to display an intention of friendship.

_Hi?_ wondered Seras. "hi" was not a word you would hear often from a Nazi. Nevertheless, she kept her stance. He could be baiting her.

The vampire must have realised that she did not trust him and even considered him a foe, for he raised his hands and said: "Do not fear me, Fraulein. I do not wish to hurt you. It seems to me that you are lost, and I am willing to aid you. I am. Please believe me, please! for if you do not, I will be oh so low in spirit. I have been exiled, and snubbed and hated for my foolishness of joining the German army.

"I thought that it would do me good, to be a vampire and fight for my country, but was wrong. When Hitler was beaten, I was stoned, subjected to abuse and other torturous actions. Believe me, I know that there were stories of us Germans torturing the Jews in concentration camps and massacring of hundreds in merciless holocausts, but I was not part of it, otherwise forced. I never enjoyed tormenting prisoners, civilians or not."

Seras looked intently into his eyes, expecting to see the dancing of evil and lies, but saw instead earnest. When he had finished speaking she never dropped her gaze, still trying to spot the look of dishonest triumph.

All that was in those red, watery orbs was sorrow and earnest.

He had managed to convince her.

Her arms dropped to her side, no longer assuming the vampire to be an enemy. "Well now," said she, "What is your name?"

"I am Rudolf Carleton," he replied, relieved. But he could not reveal his last name for he was infamous for enjoying tortures of civilians before his capture. "How about you?"

"I am Seras Victoria. How did you get here?"

"I…I got lost in this place"—he gestured to their environment— "during the war. I could not find my comrades after I offered to go and hunt for meat. They either left or I had taken the wrong path back. Sadly, I could not find anyone else since."

Seras nodded, accepting his tale. Even if it was not the truth, what could she lose and he, gain?

"So—Do you need help of any sorts?"

"Well, I probably do, but am not supposed to."

"Why so?"

"My Master sent me here to "learn survival skills"."

"I see then. Doubtless you hate his idea?"

A nod signified a reply.

"Who is your Master, by the way?"

"My Master? Alucard."

"Alucard…hmm…"

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"Normally, yes. _But_" (for Seras brightened up) "I am very sure that you have no penny. Yes, I know it was a figure of speech, but no one else but myself knows what is on my mind."

Seras' face twisted into an expression of slight disgust and disappointment. First Alucard, now _him_. Just why do male vampires take pleasure in picking on females like her so much?

However, Meltzer must have realised just how annoyed she was for he quickly apologised. "I didn't mean to upset you, Fraulein. Truly sorry about that."

Seras nodded in acknowledgment. "Apology accepted," she mumbled, barely audible. He is quite nice, well mannered and a gentleman, she admitted.

"So, um… Would you like to see where I live, Miss?"

"Oh, oh yes! Certainly!" she said, taken aback by his sudden invitation.

And so they left for the jumble of wood of a tree house. Seras concluded that it was safe to confide as much as she wanted in her newfound friend. Or so she thought.

It had never crossed her mind that he was working for Alucard, her once Master and _his_ Master.

If she had known what lay in store for her when she would return to her so-called Master, she would have so dearly preferred to stay put in the forest or else just kill herself. The emotional tirade that she would experience after she returns to her "Master's" side may well destroy her worse than death.


	4. Deceit

Diclaimer: Hellsing belongs to Kouta Hirano, Gonzo Animation, Geneon Entertainment and Dark Horse comics.

**

* * *

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**Chapter Four:**

**Deceit**

After so long a time, after a few months, the two vampires who had not too long ago become friends, returned to the place where Seras called a home.

They had decided to walk back hand-in-hand, still fresh from their enduring friendship. Their hearts were warm with love and care preserved from the experience of being in the jungle for the past few months.

Meltzer himself had almost forgotten he was not to get too involved in Seras, but he could not help it. Besides, the closer he was to her, the higher likeliness of the plan succeeding.

Romanian mansion loomed in front of them, growing larger and larger. Meltzer gasped, "It's huge!"

"Well of course it is," came the reply. "Master would always want to act big and powerful. Just wait till you see the interior; the decor is fit for the King of Hell."

"Are you sure it's fine for me to go in?" he asked, not wanting to see an Underworld look-alike. He had had seen the place more than enough.

"At least meet my master, Rudolf," she pleaded. "I wish to stay with you the rest of my life! He acts like my father and wants the best for me most of the time. That is one of the many reasons he wants me to hunt."

"Fine, fine... Very well, I'll go."

"Thanks a _million_, Rudolf!"

Soon, they reached the gates of Alucard's domain. Seras simply pushed open the heavy door for there was no lock of any kind. The door would not need security from normal human folk, as it was too heavy for any human to lift or even drag. However, a vampire would be able to enter, the beings having unmatched strength.

"Master Alucard!" called Seras as she entered the narrow walkway leading to the main hall.

_What is it, Police Girl? Back already?_

"Of _course_ I'm back," she replied aloud. "Did you actually want me to stay in that damned place forever?"

_Like you said, it's "damned". You are one, no doubt._

"Master," she growled.

Then she caught sight of Alucard a few metres in front of her. "Oh, hello, Master."

Seras whirled around to look at Meltzer. _Master_?

"Rudolf, what—?"

"He is my master, Seras. The Dracula."

"So that was…"

"Yes, at that time I wondering if your master is also mine; the difference in name was just that it is spelt backwards."

"Master, you… Did you put Rudolf in that sickening place as well?"

"He was already there when I met him. I turned him into an undead because he needed more than the qualities of a human to survive. He would have perished in that _hellish_ place if not for me." Alucard replied, emphasising what he thought of the jungle.

"But if it was hellish, did you even expect me to return?"

"As to that, I'll leave it to your own judgement," he said, lips curling into a smirk.

"What—" she began but stopped. She knew that arguing with him was useless, as he would not change what he saw fit.

Fuming, she did not pursue the matter, preferring to march into her room. Meltzer followed closely, bowing to the cloaked Master as he passed.

As soon as she shut the door, Seras let out a breath that she had unconsciously been holding. She had immediately held her breath to prevent herself from exploding in anger, a habit she adopted during the days of living with only her Master and no one else.

"I am sorry about this, Seras. I should have told you more about my suspicions at the time."

"It's not your fault," she sighed. "I just never expected things to take such a nasty turn. I should not have read too much into his actions. But he _is_ very cunning, you know?"

Meltzer kept quiet, not trusting himself to speak. Never had he been thrust into such a situation, unable to trust and confide into his Master fully and to make very certain he did not stray away from his purpose of duty, to get too involved.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - -

"Go and hunt," Alucard growled. He had waited far too long. "Hunt, _hunt_!"

"I will NEVER hunt!" Seras shouted, red in the face. "I keep telling you that, but do you listen?_ No_. You just keep thinking that I will crack up one fine day and start killing, you freak!"

Alucard and Seras were locked in an argument yet again. Alucard was not his usual self—he had lost almost all patience he had for Meltzer to cajole his ex-fledgling into the ways of a "proper" vampire. It was already a _year _since they were back, and oh so reliable Meltzer hadn't made Seras change her ways.

In addition, she had become more bold and unafraid to spew insults at her Master. It was getting too much. Not only has Seras not agreed to hunt, she had lost possibly all respect she had had for him!

Alucard may have all eternity to wait, but he wanted to be able to enjoy her as a loyal and cruel Bride.

If Meltzer could not influence Seras, then he would have no choice but to carry out the next step of his devious plot. Not that Meltzer really proved himself useful. To sacrifice a next-to-useless fledgling with no potential for one who has proved she would meet his expectations was worth it. Why continue keeping two sores in the neck when he could discard one and be rewarded with the Bride of his dreams?

"Very well, suit your own wishes," he hissed. He turned in a swift and sharp motion so that his cloaked swished. He paused for a few seconds before speaking and then leaving.

"Woe betides you, Seras Victoria. This is your choice. You cannot turn back."

Seras, however, was too angry and flushed to dig deep into the words for its concealed meaning. It may not even matter, for they may be one of his few empty threats. What could he _do_, anyway? Shout and try to intimidate her? It was not going to work anymore. The Seras he saw before him was not the Seras he thought her to be. She was a changed person.

Or so she thought. She would come to learn that she was wrong and deceived all along.

- - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --

"Have you ever thought of dying, Seras?"

"Well, um… Yes, of course. We've all died, haven't we?" she replied, caught off guard by his sudden question.

"No, not that sort of dying. I mean _really_ dying. Gone from this world, and never to live again."

"Well, I…" she trailed. "Yes, I have. It happens all the time, if you've lived with many people around you, and watching them all pass on… Why the questions?"

"Because, Seras," Meltzer said, his face grave, "you are going to die."

"You're joking, aren't you?" she asked, startled. For some reason, she began to shake inside. "Why would I die?"

"I don't joke. I never joke. You are going to die, and believe that."

Seras looked shocked, and was staring at her companion with questioning and disbelieving eyes.

Meltzer rose from the rock where he was sitting, and strode to a flame-of-the-forest. Their possessions were under the tree, including two broadswords for protection against the wild. He picked up his weapon and went back to face the female vampire.

He unsheathed the sword and pointed it in the direction of her face. If they were not about twenty metres apart, Seras would have been pricked.

His eyes were cold and determined, and they showed no mercy. There was also no smile whatsoever on his face. They were set and fierce. It was not like him. Not like her sweet Rudolf at all. What was wrong with him?

Then, without warning, he leapt at the poor, worried girl. She quickly snapped back to reality and avoided getting stabbed. But only just.

She jumped her way to where they had stowed their belongings and seized her own sword, unsheathing it just in time to parry another blow from the merciless Meltzer.

_Why is he like that? Why had he changed? Was I the one who brought upon him this change? No. He never cared for me at all. He was just waiting for a nice chance to slay me. It was all a trap. A shitting trap!_

If a fight was what he wanted, a fight is what he would get.

Her defensive mechanisms had kicked in, and she had lost her kind and selfless mind. For just this fight, her survival instincts were back, and so was the will to kill. The monster within Seras had been awakened.

She screamed as she attempted to plunge her blade into the traitor's heart, but he dodged in time. He then took advantage of the short distance between them and swung his sword with powerful force. He missed as well.

_That scum... I trusted him! I trusted his damned soul! I thought that he could be like Pip, but I was wrong. There is only one Pip Bernadette, and only ONE! All my trust and care was for naught. That shameless German!_

Meltzer was high in the air and descending fast, raising his weapon for what might be the final blow. But it was not, as Seras parried strongly. She pushed him and his sword away from herself with her blade.

_Filth. He WILL pay._

He flew into the air again before landing expertly on his feet several metres away. Upon landing, he sprang forward to her with his feet, weapon held back to deliver a fatal slash.

But Seras was quicker, and smarter. Since the enemy was holding the sword with his right hand, the attack would come from the left first. She knew that; it was all registered in her head, and so she moved swiftly to her right and swung her sword into his torso. No matter how enduring his body was, he could never escape being sliced. His momentum and her full-strength swing guaranteed a severely damaged waist.

_Your end is near. Prepare to suffer and beg for mercy! _

He let out a gasp of pain as blood flew out from under his ribs and his mouth. The great thrust into his body caused him to spin horizontally in the air before slamming onto the sand-covered ground.

Meltzer was taking in short breaths despite not needing to breathe, aggravating his injury. His two hands clutched his gaping wound, his fingers soaked in blood. He had been slashed around the stomach, just below the ribcage. His upper body was now joined to his hip only by half of his remaining waist, and blood was still gushing out.

Suddenly, the waves beneath the cliff they were on could be heard loudly. Very loudly. The intensity of the battle seemed to have drowned out all other sounds, and now that it was over, everything came back. But the waves of the ocean seem to be crying out for the two's torn relationship.

Seras eyes were gleaming maniacally as she surveyed her work.

"So," she asked, looking and sounding mad, "how does it feel to be torn? To feel that you were able to trust a person to do something and then have he fail it? How?"

She walked over to the nearly deceased self of Meltzer, and looked down. What she saw changed her mind almost instantly.

"What," she exclaimed, aghast, "have I done?" The sword slipped out of her fingers, dropping onto the rocky ground.

"Seras..." he rasped. "I am truly sorry for what I had done. I did not mean to... I was just taken over... by... It is very hard to explain..."

"It's me who should be sorry," Seras choked. "I—what have I done? I never wanted to kill, to hunt. But... _I have become your hunter_."

"Just regenerate, please! Heal your wounds, I'm sure you can do that."

"I am not a true vampire as you are, my dear," he reminded. "This is the end. Would you... can you give me a last hug?"

"Yes, certainly, Rudolf. I will give you even more than that."

And she bent forward to embrace his bloodied body, staining her own clothes. Then, she kissed his forehead.

"And," he said in short spasms, "I am sorry to have deceived you. I am Rudolf Meltzer. But I am no longer cruel. I... wish you to know that."

After uttering his last words, he closed his eyes and there left a consoled expression on his face.

Seras cried harder and harder, her head in Meltzer's lifeless chest. "I—I know that, Rudolf. I know that you are not cruel."

She then gently lowered Meltzer's body onto the sandy ground. She muttered a few words of prayer before going on ahead to the edge of the cliff. There she sat, and watched the evening sun set. Even after that, she stayed, gazing to the horizon. It was nearly midnight before she stood up and walked along the road home.

To the home she never felt was home. It was a home only by name, for she had nowhere else to live. Just like her Master who was not her Master anymore.

How could she?

To kill someone who genuinely cared for her, someone who went beyond his Master's orders, and to care for her before being taken over?

Why could she not see past the mask his Master generated?

Was it because she did not love him enough? Because she did not return his love for her?

Or was it that she was too selfish to care for him as much and to bother to know him well? Was it that she was too self-centred to not notice the intensity of his love?

_Yes. Perhaps it was that._

Enraged at herself, she struck the ground with the sword she had been holding unconsciously. It sank in deep, and Seras cried again, gripping the sword for balance.

Her tears were bitter tears, until the penny dropped.

She realised something. She remembered something.

The cold and merciless eyes of Meltzer during the fight.

But... why would he have apologised and let go of everything to her in the end? Why did he suddenly revert to his normal and kind self?

_Or was it that he was not kind at all?_

Yes. That must be it. The Meltzer of Hitler's time was a cruel being, was he not? He hadn't changed at all. The cruel never change their spots. They never.

_The best two examples are Alucard and the shit,_ she thought furiously.

Never will she love a person again. She will never. The few people who ever made her happy were Integral, Pip, her parents and a few of the Hellsing soldiers. This world only had several kind souls. No others.

She was not kind too. She hated everything. She hated everyone. She hated herself.

But so many sins she had committed. So many. What salvation would she find if she tried to keep clean, anyway? She would no longer treat this as her life. Her life was long gone. This life, however, belonged to Alucard and her vampiric counterpart. This was just another's life with a small portion of her mind left over from the past life. This was just another's life who was trapped in her corpse.

The Seras her parents knew no longer exists. It is the Seras Alucard wanted that lives.

This was another's life, and not her own. It is not hers, so she will make way for the ruthless Seras to take control of this life. She will not meddle with it anymore.

It was none of her concern.

A life of orgasm, non-existent love, hunting and killing beckoned.

The sweet Seras many knew for a long time had left.

Now, the No-Life Queen Alucard lusts for takes charge.


End file.
